There’s an LG Twins catcher trying to win a trophy that even the best catcher in the game, Yang Ji (Doosan Bears), hasn’t won.
It’s still too early to tell. But who could 메이저놀이터 have predicted Park Dong-won’s trifecta so far, and it’s time to be cautiously optimistic about the MVP.
Park’s stellar play continues. As of the 15th, he leads the league in home runs (14), RBIs (45), and on-base percentage (.575).
If I had to pick an MVP right now, he would be my pick.
Park’s batting pace hasn’t slowed down at all. After batting 2-for-3 with four home runs and 10 RBIs in April (19-for-81), he had a breakout month in May. He batted .333 (75-for-25) with nine home runs and 25 RBIs. For his performance, Park was named the May MVP.
He continued to hit well in June. His batting average was even better. In 11 games, he batted .351 (13-for-37) with one home run and 10 RBIs. His home run pace has slowed, but that’s because he’s been batting fifth in the order lately, which means he’s been focusing more on accuracy than big hits.
Park Dong-won’s breakout season has helped the Heroes, who have not won a title since joining the organization with the 19th overall pick in the second round of the 2009 KBO Draft, climb to the top of the standings and raise hopes of winning the regular season title.
In the 41-year history of the KBO, only twice has a catcher won the MVP award. They were Lee Mansu (Samsung) in 1983 and Park Kyung-wan (Hyundai) in 2000. Lee Man-soo won the home run and RBI titles with 27 home runs and 73 RBIs, while Park won MVP honors by becoming the first catcher to reach the 40-homer plateau with 40 home runs. Park’s 40 home runs still stands as the most by a catcher in a single season in history.
Doosan Yang-ji, the KBO’s most valuable free agent with a total of $27.7 billion through two free agency signings, has been named All-Star and Korean Series MVP, but has never won a regular season MVP award.
He will be looking to become LG’s first MVP. No player has ever won the regular season MVP in an LG uniform. Before LG, MBC Cheongnyong also had no MVP. This is a far cry from Doosan, which has produced seven MVPs, including Park Chul-soon (1982), Kim Sang-ho (1995), Tyrone Woods (1998), Daniel Rios (2007), Dustin Nippert (2016), Kim Jae-hwan (2018), and Ariel Miranda (2021).
